How To Tell Hiccup
by ScribeOfTheLegends
Summary: Post-Hidden World by a year and a half. Hiccup and Astrid are married, and as they remember their dragons and help each other through, Astrid has some big news to tell Hiccup. Pregstrid. Twoshot. Hiccstrid. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A fluff story about Hiccup and Astrid missing their dragons because I watched Homecoming and I'm a mess. Not strictly in After The War universe.

Edit: Whew, this was not supposed to have a pregnancy reveal in it. Exactly where did that come from, brain? Why must you keep adding in random plot lines? Also soon to be a two-shot.

Rated: T (Very light)  
Time zone: A year and a half after The Hidden World

Hiccup trudged home, knee deep in the snow. His prosthetic sank into the fluffy white powder, and he struggled with every step to bring it out of the freshly packed snow. He stopped to take a breath. Gods, he really should've taken the time to shovel out the path to his house.

He lifted his head to gaze around him at his village. The moonlight shone on every clump of snow, only outshone by the lanterns hanging from every dragon-shaped rafter on every house.

Hiccup was incredibly proud of New Berk. With the help of all his villagers and his trusty team of Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins, his mom, Eret, and Astrid, he had built a prospering village from the bare ground in a matter of months. More than 30 houses were built to accommodate the numerous people on New Berk. Sheep would bleat noisily, the children would play, and the Vikings would go on their daily business in the bright sunshine.

But now was night. He had stayed up late at the forge, where he had a small office to work alone. The job of Chief required him to interact with all kinds of people every day, but occasionally he felt overwhelmed and worked alone in his locked cubicle off the side to the forge. Only him and Astrid had the key.

Looking up again, he returned to the tedious job of trekking to his house on the top of a hill, overlooking the village. He reached the brightly lit house and smiled, knowing in a few minutes Astrid would poke her head out of the window and scoldingly usher him in.

And so she did. He saw her hands flip open the shutters, and then a few seconds later the door opened to the sight of his wife holding a basket in one arm. "Hiccup!" She called. "Come on, get inside!"

Hiccup grinned and clumped up the stairs. He ducked into the house and shut the door after Astrid. He stamped on the mat, brushing the snow off his pants and arms.

Astrid bustled around the cozy room, dashing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. They had been fortunate enough to have extra space and supplies to add extra rooms for themselves, though of course since he was the Chief he was entitled to some form of special treatment.

He sighed and slumped on the couch, stretching his arms and warming his legs (well really his leg and stump) in front of the fire. He turned his head to wearily watch Astrid ladle soup into bowls for them. He yawned. "You would not believe the crazy day I had."

Astrid chuckled. "Well, I can imagine it was a crazy day. You came home at ten."

Hiccup whirled around to stare at the clock. "Oh, wow, that is a lot later than I thought." He sighed. "I'm sorry. Taking such long days isn't fair to you."

Astrid shook her head gently. "It's fine, Hiccup. You're the Chief. This stuff happens." She walked over and rested her hands on his shoulder. "In that case, dinner is ready. I kept it warmfor you."

"Thank you." He stood up to walk over to the dining table and sit down to bowls of steaming hot soup and yak chops. He smiled at Astrid as she sat down on the other side of the small table.

They dug in, both trying to hide their hunger to the other but epically failing. Within a few minutes, the food was gone and their bowls drained. Hiccup wiped his mouth on his napkin and leaned back in his chair. "Your cooking has really improved. A few years ago, you didn't even know how.

Astrid nodded, gathering up the empty dish ware. "Gobber actually has some good recipes, if you can believe it. I just made sure to follow them carefully. So, what exactly happened at work today?"

This had become a sort of ritual for them to ask the other how their day went. Although they saw each other many times during the day, the evening was a more pleasant time to exchange anecdotes rather than shouting it across a busy road or room.

He stared at the ceiling. "Oh, the usual. The Lancov's naming ceremony for their baby girl happened. Named her Adriana."  
If he had noticed how Astrid had slightly stiffened at the word baby, the conversation would have taken a sharp turn. But he didn't.

He continued on. "My mom found some wild hay on the south side of the island, it must've popped up last spring or summer. Fishlegs is looking to start a farm there, so that plot will probably be given to him and Ruffnut once they're married. But I think that's all the interesting stuff that really happened. How was your day?"

Astrid took the last of the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. "Oh, nothing exciting happened. Besides daily chores, some duties at the academy and forge, it's been a pretty boring but tiring day." She returned from dumping the dishes into warm water to soak, wiping her hands on her apron.

Hiccup stood up and took her apron for her, hanging it on a peg in the wall. She smiled softly at him.

Having done her ritual of after-dinner chores, she and Hiccup curled up on the couch. She leaned her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm snugly around her shoulders. They sat in comfortable silence, watching the fire merrily dance and crackle.

Hiccup stroked her hair. "Are you sure you're okay with your schedule these days? I know you'd like to help more in the meetings and Council.

Astrid sighed and shut her eyes for a second. "I do, but it's not like they need my help right now. We're super busy at the academy, the new graduates are all acting like mini Snotlouts." They softly laughed.

Hiccup pressed a kiss to her forehead. She snuggled closer to him. He leaned his head back, thinking about Toothless.

He had started somewhat of a tradition to think about Toothless every night when he had time. He so dearly missed his best friend, he wished he was safe and sound in the Hidden World. He sleepily asked Astrid," What do you think Stormfly's doing right now?"

Astrid shrugged, her blue eyes glimmering from the light of the lively fire. "Probably grooming herself. She spends so much time a day just preening!" She laughed.

Hiccup smiled. "She did like to look her best. Think there's any chicken in the Hidden World?"

Astrid looked up at him mirthfully. "Chicken? Well, maybe one might fall in one day. Who knows?"

He shook his head. Sometimes the things they came up with were so impossible they surprised themselves.

His next question came out hesitantly. "What do you think Toothless is doing?"

Astrid straightened to look at him. "You should answer that, he's your dragon after all."

Hiccup felt a lump building in his throat. "Used to be my dragon."

"Oh, Hiccup. He's your dragon no matter what. Nothing can change that."

Hiccup groaned. "Well in that case then I believe he's off catching fish. No, not catching. Playing with his fish." He snorted. "He needs to eat so much but he plays with his food. Typical."

Astrid smiled, glad to see Hiccup talking about his dragon so animatedly. "Well, what about the Light Fury? You know, we really need to name her. We can't just keep calling her the Light Fury."

Hiccup thought about it. "Somehow I don't feel like it's right for us to name her. She's probably still just as wild as a spirit as she was a year ago. We could just call her LF. Short for Light Fury."

"Seems like something the twins would come up with."

"True. You know, I still can't believe Ruffnut accepted Fishleg's proposal. I always thought Fishlegs would be with Heather, and Ruffnut... well not Throk, that's for sure."

"We all thought Heather would get together with Fishlegs but that somehow that just didn't happen."

"We left the Edge too soon."

Astrid tilted her head. "Well, we spent an entire year there, and a lot happened. Besides, Heather belongs with the Berserkers, and Fishlegs belongs with Berk."

Hiccup nodded. "We were so surprised when Ruffnut accepted Fishleg's proposal, weren't we?"

Astrid chuckled. "Yeah, we never thought our Ruff would ever do that."

Hiccup shook his head. "Agreed. Marry Fishlegs? I'm surprised she didn't go after Eret."

Astrid nodded, paying attention to the conversation but also staring at the fire, gazing lost in thought at the flickering flames. Her day hadn't actually been boring. In fact, this day had changed her life.

And Hiccup's.

He just didn't know yet.

Astrid gently extricated herself from Hiccup's arm. "It's getting late, I'll go to bed."

Hiccup frowned. "You sure? You usually stay up later than this. You could just wake up late and no one would know."

Astrid sighed. "No, honestly..." She hesitated. Should she tell Hiccup? Was he ready for news like this, so late at night?  
Was she ready for this?

She breathed out slowly. "I'm just feeling a little nauseous. I'll be fine soon."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Do you feel alright? Maybe you're coming down with something."

Astrid shook her head. "Nah, probably just ate something funny. I'll be fine. Goodnight, see you in the morning."

He reached up to kiss her, then watched as she climbed up the stairs to their room.

She seemed a bit off to Hiccup. She usually stayed up as late as Hiccup did, so she could spend as much time with him as possible. He tried to get up as late as possible, and delay his meetings as Chief. Still, their schedules were very different and inconsistent, which meant they didn't see too much of each other during the day.

Hiccup still knew Astrid better than anybody he'd ever known, and the same went for her. But he also knew that if something was bothering her deeply, she would have told him.

He rose up and straightened the couch out. Taking a bucket of water, he poured its contents onto the fire, watching as it crackled and hissed to red embers. He looked around the room, then headed up the stairs.

Their room was the first of three rooms on the second floor. The first door had their room, a small, cozy retreat with a set of drawers and a bed. The second was full of different things they always used but didn't have anywhere else to put. Things like the bath and wash tub, inside because of the cold outside. In the summer, when it was warmer, they had a private outhouse to bath and wash clothes.

Some other things were rather useless wedding presents. A large wood carving of Toothless from Fishlegs that they weren't sure what to do with, a handmade stove from Gobber that had almost burned Astrid the first time she tried to use it, and a box labeled "EXPLOSIVE. BE CAREFUL WHEN ACTIVATING." from the twins they were too scared to open.

The third room was unused for the most part. But it did had a few pieces of furniture they would surely need later. A crib, for instance. Hiccup and Astrid had talked, after they had gotten properly engaged to be married and set a firm wedding date. Both had said that they surely wanted children, and Hiccup's heart still warmed when he thought about it. But they had agreed to wait.

Being Chief was a tiring job, he would need time to get used to it. And he was caring for another person in his household already, and caring for the whole village. Not to mention the trips to other islands to help with dragon problems and whatnot. Waiting a year or two to have children had seemed the best choice.

Hiccup gently swung open the door to their bedroom, to see darkness. One single candle burned on the drawer, giving light for a few feet around.

He closed the door quietly and took the candle. Bringing it to where he knew the window was, he stared out at his village.

He had built the top story himself, after many weeks of work. This bedroom window had a view of all of New Berk, so he could see the glimmering lanterns and the dark houses where everyone was surely asleep. Above that, the night sky blanketed the world, with a pinprick or yellow moon. He could hear the soft chirping of solitary crickets, and could feel and smell the coolness of the air.

He closed the shutters and set the candle on the interior windowsill. He quickly changed into his nightclothes, then unlatched his prosthetic and crawled next to Astrid.

He blew out the candle and lay his head down on the pillow, already feeling exhaustion take over. He closed his eyes, and remembered nothing more until morning came.

On the other side, Astrid was not asleep. But in her stomach, she felt sick. In her head, she felt worse.

What was she going to do?

********************************************  
Astrid had gone to Gothi when hiding the puking became too much. Early in the mornings, when Hiccup had left for Chiefly duties, she would vomit up her hreakfast, unable to keep it in. Soft things such as porridge and soup were fine, but mutton? Yak? Instant throw up.

She felt sick in her head, hints of headaches randomly appearing. When she had to sit down every few minutes, she knew something was wrong.

Her head had already come to a conclusion, but she stubbornly refused to believe it. She was just sick, it was a bug brought on by the oncoming winter cold. Some tea would help. Maybe if she took some medicine she had stored upstairs for occasions just like this.

But eventually she gave up, and walked to Gothi's hut after noon. She had no problems in the afternoon for the most part. But the mornings were horrid.

Up she went, to the cliff where Gothi had insisted upon building her hut. She had knocked on the door, then greeted by Gothi with a questioning glare. She had told her the situation, trying to keep down her anxiety.

She had ushered her in, looking a bit more hospitable as she pulled all sorts of bags and tools from the various shelves around her hut. After a few scratched questions, she had returned with a small bowl and motioned for Astrid to... do her business in it.

She hastily complied, locking herself in a private room to do it. Once the sample had been taken, Gothi had asked a few more questions and tested some strange looking herbs and plants. All while Astrid nervously tapped her foot against the floor.

This kind of news would change their lives forever, and Astrid was very aware. She knew the risks of having unplanned children, even if they were married and in a stable situation. Not to mention she'd likely be very, very sick for most of the next year.

Gothi had finally stopped doing random things with her equipment, and had solemnly turned to face Astrid. Her old, weathered face gave nothing away, yet Astrid wondered how many times she had delivered news of a new heir.

And then Gothi had carefully, precisely scratched out a simple message on the dirt. "Yes."

Astrid remembered almost nothing except for the blur that overtook her thoughts from that moment after. She had stumbled home and stayed there, contemplating what to do.

Now, lying in her bed next to Hiccup who was fast asleep, she was uncertain. She would have to tell him sooner or later, but she wasn't sure she could work up the nerves.

A part of her said that there was no reason to be afraid. Hiccup had said that he would be delighted to have children, albeit being afraid of parenthood.

She carefully reached down to her stomach, feeling against the thick layers of nightclothes she wore. There was no obvious sign of pregnancy yet, but Gothi had assured her they would pop up soon.

She was still getting over the fact that there was a life growing inside her. She would be a mother in nine months. Hiccup would be a father.

They would be parents.

It seemed like only yesterday they were fifteen and in battle training, against dragons. Yet here they were now, married and expecting a child.

The latter unbeknownst to one, of course.

She felt her head grow worse and worse, until she finally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.

Hiccup woke up to bird calling through the window, incessantly chirping. He opened his eyes, instantly regretting it when the bright sunlight caused his face to screw up again.

He rolled over, burying his head in the pillow. While he was glad the sunlight caused him to wake up on time every morning, he certainly didn't feel that way when he awoke.

His arm flopped to the other side of the bed, where he felt nothing but warm covers. He lifted his head, surprised when he did not see Astrid next to him. She usually old up around the same time he did.

He jerked up when he heard retching sounds from downstairs, and he yanked the covers off him and toppled off of the bed, expecting to stand when he tumbled face first into the floor.

Stupid prosthetic.

He groped around on the floor for it, finding it a few feet away. He tied it onto his stump, hearing the satisfying click when he secured it on. Hopping up again, he heard retching sounds coming again from below him.

He raced down the stairs, thinking of how stubborn Astrid could be. And now she'd obviously gone and gotten herself sick.

Inside the kitchen, he saw Astrid sitting in a chair, looking green as she held a hand to her mouth. Whipping her head around at the sound of his footsteps, her eyes widened. "Hiccup, I thought-"

Hiccup sighed and cut her off. "I knew you were sick, now come on, you're going back to bed."

Astrid shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I swear, Hiccup-"

He walked over to the bucket next to Astrid's feet, careful not to look at the contents, and dumped it out the window in a hole they had dug for trash. "You're clearly sick. You need to go back to bed."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Hiccup-"

He rolled his eyes, tired of her insisting she was fine. "Come on." Without another word, he scooped her up bridal style and started walking toward the stairs. "Hiccup! What-" He laughed, then grimaced as she landed a punch on his shoulder. "This isn't fair!"

He smirked. "It's not my fault you weigh less than a feather. Or that I'm stronger than you now." He reached the top of the stairs and shoved the door open with his shoulder. He dumped her on the bed, laughing again as she crossed her arms and turned away from him.

"Are you really going to make me stay here?"

"Yes, for the last time, you're sick-"

"No I'm not."

Hiccup stared blankly at her. "You just puked your guts out and you're telling me you're not sick?"

She shook her head, almost relieved that she hadn't blurted it out more obviously. Hiccup sighed. "You know what, do you want me to stay with you today? I'll ask Valka and Gobber if they can take care of the Chief problems."

Her eyes lighted up, happy at the prospect of having Hiccup all to herself for a day. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He nodded, turning toward the door. "I'll go tell them, I'll be back soon."

She smiled, turning back toward him as he closed the door. She heard him walking down the stairs, then heard the thud of the door as he went out. As soon as she heard it, she leapt up, pacing the room nervously.

She had come so close to telling him, now she was spending the whole day with him. It was surely going to slip out sometime or another. She was going to have to tell him. And soon.

This turned out to be way longer than expected, and also for some reason sharply veered off the fluff. My sincere apologies, but the second part of this will hopefully be up soon. Thanks for reading, and sorry for weird plot twists and the horrible writing. :)


	2. Chapter 2

How To Tell Hiccup Part 2

Hiccup swung the door open, trudging out into the biting cold. The sunlight blinded him momentarily; when he could see he saw the fresh layer of pure white snow that had fallen in the night. It blanketed the houses and hid the streets and roads.

He carefully stepped down from his porch into the soft fluffy powder. As his feet - er, foot- sunk in, he realized he would have to march with high knees if he wanted to get anywhere.

Rubbing his head, he looked around for a moment before remembering his new invention. A few weeks before, the snow had gotten deep for anyone to walk on, especially for Hiccup because of his prosthetic. So he had taken an idea he had had and fashioned a pair of shoes that could be strapped onto the feet. He called them... snowshoes.

He clambered out of the snow onto the porch, shaking the snow off his leg. Sticking his head inside the window, he reached down for a pair of snowshoes he had finished a few days ago. He pulled them through the window and standing on one leg, strapped one to his foot. He repeat the gesture for his prosthetic, the left snowshoe slightly modified to fit the metal shape.

He stamped a few times, and clumsily started lumbering toward the snow. He told himself this wouldn't look foolish on the snow, this wouldn't look strange. Just... looked strange on solid ground.

He gripped the pole on the side of the porch in an effort to steady himself as he swung each snowshoe out onto the snow. When he was completely off the porch, he smiled in satisfaction. He hadn't sunk down at all.

He lifted one foot, and finding it was easier than he had thought, started walking to Gobber's forge. He didn't actually walk, but more so marched.

He made it to Gobber's forge a few houses down. The large structure had been reinforced with steel and wood this winter. Smoke billowed out of the chimney at the top of the forge, and a sharp clanging could be heard from inside.

Hiccup knocked on the door. "Gobber? You in there?"

A few seconds passed before the door creaked open and Gobber's face peeked out. "Oi, Hiccup!" He opened the door further, moving aside to let Hiccup in. "How're ya doin- why do ya have stuff on ya feet?"

"They're my newest invention. Snowshoes! Now, you don't have to trudge through snow, you can just walk on the top!"

Gobber looked skeptically at the snowshoes. "Yeh, right. Well, aside from the shoes, why are ya over here? Yer usually in the Great Hall or something."

Hiccup shook the snow off one shoe. "Astrid's not feeling great, and we haven't had a day together in a long time. Could you and Valka take over the village just for today?"

Gobber grumbled, "Well, I guess so. Is it just a cold?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Hopefully. Maybe something we ate didn't sit well with her."

Gobber puffed out the fire and poured water over the glowing coals. "Right. Well, ya take care of your wife. Try not to get killed." He chuckled. "I'll go to the Great Hall now, and tell everyone."

He nodded. "Thanks. Drop by later, will you? I'll still need to keep up to date with what's going on."

Gobber waved his hand away. "Ahh, of course. Get going, I'll clean up here."

Opening the door, Hiccup was hit again by the blinding sunlight. When the glare subsided, he stepped outside with his snowshoes firmly strapped on. "Bye, Gobber!"

He heard a grunt in reply and laughed, shaking his head.

He walked along the houses, then stopped as he heard a snickering from one of them. Rolling his eyes, he turned to face the house with two wooden Zippleback heads protruding from the roof. "Tuff! Ruff! I can hear you!"

A head stuck out of the window, laughing at Hiccup. "Hey, whatcha wearing on your feet?"

He lifted one up. "Ruff, they're snowshoes. Now, I can walk on snow without sinking into it."

She lifted an eyebrow. "TUFF!" She screamed back into the house. "Hiccup might've actually invented something useful this time!"

Hiccup deadpanned at her, "Oh really. Thank you sooo much." Tuffnut's head stuck out of the other window, both their heads uncannily below the heads of Barf and Belch on their roof. "You invented something useful?"

Hiccup facepalmed, then pointed to his feet. "They're snowshoes. For walking on snow. Well, bye, I have to go check on Astrid."

Ruffnut's face scrunched up suspiciously. "Is she okay?"

He nodded. "Just feeling under the weather."

Tuffnut shook his head. "Oh, no. How's she'd get under the weather? Did the weather sneak up on he-" He cut off as Ruffnut's head disappeared from her window and a hand hit his head.

Ruffnut spoke, "Tuff! Isn't it obvious? This is all Hiccup's fault!" Hiccup looked at her incredulously, then shook his head and marched on with his snowshoes.

Tuffnut creased his eyebrows. "Wait, wait wait wait wait. How is this Hiccup's fault?"

Ruff smirked and whispered something into his ear. His eyes widened and he slowly grinned at her. "Ohhhh boy."

Ruff nodded and crossed her arms. "Oh boy is right. C'mon, we gotta restart the polls!"

She dashed out the door, leaving Tuffnut standing confused next to the window. He stuck his head out again and yelled, "What polls?"

She rolled her eyes and groaned. Pulling him out of the window and ignoring his painful shouts, she told him, "Don't you remember? When they first got married, we started polls and bets to see how long..." She stared at him expectantly.

Tuffnut looked confused for a second, then snapped his fingers, saying, "How long they would stay married! Ah ha!"

Glowering at him, Ruff stalked over to the window and flicked him upside the head. "No, you muttonhead! How long it would be before she-" She whispered the rest into his ear.

His eyes widened and he smirked. "Oh yeahhhh. We can make a lot of money off this. Remind me, sister, didn't every Viking over the age of 16 vote?"

She clapped his shoulder. "Ohh yes." They swung their heads together and their helmets clanked with a finality only the twins could create.

Hiccup headed back up the path to his house, still shaking his head in bewilderment of the twin's words. Marching up the path to the small hill his house stood on proved to be a more tedious task than heading downhill, albeit a small slope.

He reached the porch and promptly unstrapped his snowshoes. Propping then against the door for future use, he opened the door and walked inside. "Astrid?" He called.

"I haven't moved from here!" A response came from up the stairs. Hiccup closed the door and headed up the stairs. Opening the first door, he poked his head inside to see Astrid still lying on the bed.

He laughed and sat down beside her. "Are you feeling any better?"

She rolled over to meet his eyes. "I told you, I'm fine."

He took her small hand in his and rubbed small circles on it with his thumb. "Last time you said that, you turned out to be sick with a deadly plague that no one had seen for centuries."

She smiled briefly, then tried to sit up. Pushing herself up, she slowly came to a sitting position and crossed an arm against her stomach.

He took note of how pale she looked, the usually determined smile now a queasy grimace. Reaching up, he carefully felt her forehead. It felt normal, although it did seem as if she was cold all over. "Are you cold?"

She shrugged. "A little."

He secretly took a fur blanket from behind her, then dragged it over her head. She shrieked and pulled it off her head, glaring at Hiccup while trying not to smile.

He laughed, but then broke off as Astrid hunched over, her arms covering her stomach. "Are you okay?"

She clamped a hand over her mouth, and Hiccup instantly understood. He jumped up to grab a bucket from the corner of the room, and gave it to Astrid just in time.

He winced at the retching noises, and rubbed his hand over her back soothingly. When she was done, Hiccup took a clean towel and gave it to her. She wiped her mouth and sighed.

He scooted forward and wrapped an arm around her. She tensed, then leaned back against him. Turning, she buried her head in his shoulder.

He stroked her golden hair softly. "How are you really?"

She curled up close to him, showing a vulnerability she could only express with him. "Nauseous."

He dragged the heavy fur blanket gently over her shoulders, and briefly kissed the top of her head. "Do you want water? Soft bread?"

She looked at him gratefully. "Yes, please."

He pulled their plump pillow over to her, and slid off the bed as she lay down. "I'll be right back."

She nodded, sinking into the pillow. He closed the door behind him and went downstairs to retrieve the food. He poured water from an already-warmed pot into a cup and sliced a few pieces of bread from the morning loaf. He put the bread on a plate and carefully walked back up the stairs to the first door.

He entered the room and set the cup and plate on the floor next to the bed, crouched down, then reached a hand out to Astrid. She stirred, and sat back up with some wincing. She saw the water and bread, and smiled at him, murmuring, "Thank you."

He raised the cup to her and watched as she slowly tried to down the water. She took a few gentle gulps to wash the bitter taste off her mouth, then gave the cup back. He then set the plate on the bed, and sat on the floor. "Y'know, we should really get a nightstand or small table to put here." She nodded, taking a slice of bread. "Maybe two. One for each side?"

He mock-pouted. "What, you don't want to share?"

She shook her head and tore a piece of bread off. "Ah, nah. I need my own space, "She replied jokingly. She bit a tiny corner of the bread to see how she would react to it, and recoiled when her stomach threatened to rebel.

She put the bread back on the plate and buried her face in her hands. She hoped Hiccup couldn't see how much she was trembling. Inside, she was a mess of wanting to desperately blurt her secret and wanting to save it for later.

Stop doing this! She told herself. You have to tell Hiccup sooner or later. It isn't such a big deal! But as soon as the last thought entered her mind, she tried to brush it away.

This was a big deal, this wasn't that big of a surprise, Hiccup needed to know, Hiccup wouldn't have to know for a while; crazy, contrasting thoughts battled in her mind until she made the decision to surrender to one.

She lifted her head and stared straight at Hiccup. She unconsciously moved her hands to his, clasping them together. "Hiccup," She began. "I have to tell you something."

He straightened up to meet her deep, penetrating gaze. She saw the questioning look in his eyes disappear to be taken by a solemn, slightly anxious face as he took in her grim expression.

She looked down to where their hands where intertwined, and breathed out slowly. Knowing it was now or never, with a thousand nerves and worries attacking her, she said, "I'm pregnant."

Silence reigned for a long, dreadful moment. Astrid was horribly aware of the quiet that blanketed them, and muffled her ears. She was sure the pounding in her chest could be heard by Hiccup, was sure he could see her trembling.

She looked up, seeing Hiccup's face in a perfect expression of shock. His eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape and his hands tightened on hers. "You're... pregnant."

She nodded uncomfortably, knowing her hands were sweating like crazy and wishing she could extract them from Hiccup's firm grip.

He repeated hoarsely, "You're pregnant."

She bit her lip, then jumped back a little when Hiccup jumped up and exclaimed, "Oh my Thor, you're pregnant! I don't even- oh my Thor!" She had to weakly laugh as she saw him jump up and down, as a comical child would do.

He pulled Astrid up out of the bed, and the blankets slid off with her as she was hoisted up to her feet. She yelped as Hiccup lifted her up and twirled her, her hands on his shoulders. Then, Hiccup put her down and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh my Thor-"

"You're not... mad? Or... upset?"

He looked at her as if she had lost all sense of mind but was also the only thing in the world that mattered. "Why would I be mad?"

He slid his hands down to her waist. "I'm not mad. I'm not even anywhere close to mad. You're pregnant. You're... carrying my child. How could I be mad?"

She almost collapsed against him in relief, letting out the pent-up emotions in one giant exhale. It was a good thing she took a giant breath too, because then Hiccup kissed her for another very long, yet nowhere near painful moment.

He pulled back and stroked her cheek. "We're gonna be parents. I'm gonna be a dad. Astrid, oh my Thor."

She smiled and looked into those eager, sparkling green eyes. This excited, screaming, jumping Hiccup reminded her so much of when he was younger it was painful. As any other adult, his emotions were less displayed than when he was a child. But now, it seemed as if he had thrown away all shields and walls and let himself be as happy as he wanted to be.  
Which apparently was very, very happy.

He asked her, "So, you're not sick? It's morning sickness? Oh god, morning sickness. How- what- have you been hiding it?"

She nodded. "I hid it at first because I didn't want you to be worried, and I didn't know I was pregnant until yesterday."

"So yesterday..."

She looped her arms around his neck. "I went to Gothi's. And she told me I was pregnant. And I completely freaked out."

"Why?"

"I didn't know how you would react! We didn't plan this, it was unexpected-"

"Astrid." She was forced to look back up at him. "Nothing would make me happier. And nothing will make me happier. Give me a few hours and I'll be shouting the news from rooftops and be dancing like a crazy man. Or Gobber. Same thing."

She chuckled, then recalled some of his words. "Umm, when do you want to tell them the news?"

"They've probably been waiting for it some time. Hmm, let's see... As much as I'm sure they wouldn't mind, a full-village meeting would be too bothersome for us to tell them a few simple words. Oh gods, we have to tell them!"

She laughed. "You're really freaking out about this. Well," She racked her brain. "The Snoggletog Celebration is in a few days. Three, right? We can tell everyone then, in the Great Hall."

Hiccup nodded exuberantly. "And we can tell them! Oh god, you're pregnant. Oh, are you still nauseous? I'm sorry I spun you, do you need water? Are you cold, anything else-"

She clapped her hand over his mouth. "I'm fine. I'm still Astrid, just pregnant. For barely few weeks, by the way. I can still hurl an axe and kick you wher-"

He stopped her. "Okay, okay. I don't think that's necessary. Please don't, by the way."

He moved her to sit on the bed, her curled up in his lap. The shock from earlier had worn off, now transitioning to pure elation.

Astrid was pregnant. She was carrying his child. In nine months, they would have a baby. They would be parents. He recited those facts, over and over again, trying to fit them into his mind.

She looked up, and softly pecked him on the lips. "I love you."

Hiccup looked down at her, his voice filled with passion. "I love you too."

Exactly three days later, at almost 6 o'clock on Snoggletog Eve, Hiccup and Astrid stood in front of the expectant villagers. Several holding mugs of mead and ale and looking slightly tipsy, others being children who had stopped their chasing and playing to hear the speech they were about to deliver.

Astrid and Hiccup had rehearsed this speech several times, wanting it to be as perfect as possible. They wanted the village to feel as moved as they were by it, yet they were anticipating the excited shock that would surely arise as they told them the news.

They now stood in the front of the Great Hall, smiling nervously at all the faces. To the right, the twins lay slouched (they had been very secretive around Hiccup and Astrid lately, they hadn't any idea why), Fishlegs sat waiting for them to speak, Snotlout was finishing off a mug of mead, and Valka patiently stood smiling at them. They had told Valka early, as she was family, and she was overjoyed at the news.

Hiccup stepped forward to speak first, and all attention was directed toward him. "Berkians, welcome to our annual Snoggletog celebration!" The crowd roared for a moment, then settled down as he opened his mouth to speak again. "Every year, another Snoggletog comes. Another year passes, and this time of year, we celebrate it with our friends and family. We celebrate it with the people who are closest to our hearts."

He paused for a moment, seeing the Viking's heads nod in agreement and cast fond looks at loved ones. "But many of them are not here. Our dragons may be farther than we may ever go from us, and while we have accepted we must live apart, they still hold a memory here. In Berk. In our village. Our names. Our legacies. In us."

Astrid took over. "But it is also a great time of change. Our village is growing is prospering, and while the past is past, it chooses our future. And the future of Berk is looking brighter than ever."

Hiccup squeezed her hand, and she squeezed his back. This was the moment. Hiccup spoke in loud, clear words, "Because Astrid and I are very happy to announce that in nine months, Berk will have a new heir!"

As soon as the words left his mouth the Vikings leapt up and cheered. The sound of them roaring enthusiastically was deafening. Snotlout and Fishlegs has stared open-mouthed before running over and enveloping them in a hug. Tuffnut and Ruffnut high-fived, and for some reason pulled out a scroll with names on it. Valka smiled proudly, glad her village had such a bright future.

Gobber swaggered over to them, clapping Hiccup hard on the shoulder. "Aye, Hiccup! Proud of you, son. I'm proud."

Eret, Sven, Hoark, Mulch, Bucket, and so many other people from their childhood swarmed them, cheered in their ears and slapping Hiccup so many times he knew he would be sore.

People danced around them, elderly Vikings gazed on, proud of the new generation. Young Vikings partook in the excitement though they likely didn't understand the magnitude of the event.

Everywhere Hiccup looked, Vikings were celebrating. They were thrust into the spirited party atmosphere, having fun with loved ones.

He watched his village, watched as they grew into a new time, a new era. Part of them, dragons, were gone and always would be, but that wouldn't stop them from thinking of their beloved dragons. Hiccup thought of Toothless with a pang, and was sure Astrid was thinking of Stormfly.

He reached over and tightly took her hand in the midst of the hubbub that surrounded them. They smiled at each other and Hiccup suddenly felt as if for once, his life was certain.

No more people trying to kill them, no crazy suicide mission. Finally, he knew what would happen. His life felt surer than it ever had. And he was grateful for it. He was grateful for everything. Toothless and Astrid. His village. His parents. His friends.

Times were certainly changing, and nothing would be the same. But he knew that the bonds between them all, relationships and memories formed, would always, always stay the same, never to be forgotten.

So so so so so sorry this took so long to get up. Life is crazy around this time of the year. Ugh, I say it'll be up soon but I wait like a month until uploading and writing it. I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed it, and the ending. I was very unsatisfied with about everything in this (Ha!) but I'd like to know your opinions about it. I may do some Hiccstrid parenting fanfics,


End file.
